swscholasticbowlfandomcom-20200216-history
Socrates
Socrates (470/469 – 399 BC) was a classical Greek (Athenian) philosopher credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Plato's dialogues are among the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity, though it is unclear the degree to which Socrates himself is "hidden behind his 'best disciple', Plato". Through his portrayal in Plato's dialogues, Socrates has become renowned for his contribution to the field of ethics, and it is this Platonic Socrates who lends his name to the concepts of Socratic irony and the Socratic method, or elenchus. The latter remains a commonly used tool in a wide range of discussions, and is a type of pedagogy in which a series of questions is asked not only to draw individual answers, but also to encourage fundamental insight into the issue at hand. Plato's Socrates also made important and lasting contributions to the field of epistemology, and the influence of his ideas and approach remains a strong foundation for much western philosophy that followed. Tossup Questions # This thinker made strides in the field of ethics with his elenchus (el-eng-khos), and he noticed that great men such as Pericles often did not produce sons of quality and thus questioned the Sophistic doctrine that arete (air-tee), or virtue, could be taught, as exemplified by his attempts to teach * Meno. This philosopher's paradoxes state that no man desires evil, and that virtue alone is sufficient for happiness. This man stated "I know that I know nothing." For 10 points, name this philosopher whose trial and subsequent death by hemlock was recorded in his student Plato's Apology. # One work featuring this figure describes a conversation between him and Ischomachus about how to create a proper household. In addition to Oeconomicus, another work by the same author argues that this man can't be blamed for the crimes of Critias and Alcibiades. That work, Memorabilia by Xenophon, shares a theme with a work in which this man refutes the arguments of Meletus and Anytus that he is both an atheist and a belief in demigods. That work also has this figure describe himself as a gadfly. For 10 points, name this Athenian philosopher who was condemned to death for corrupting the youth and thus drank hemlock. # This philosopher created the eironeia style, which later became known as his irony. Aristophanes describes this man teaching how to avoid repayment of debt and making fun of traditional gods in The Clouds. This man's eponymous method involves asking many questions and distilling the answer that one seeks and was called elenchus. Claiming that he has no wisdom in Apology, for 10 points, identify this main speaker of The Republic and other Platonic dialogues whose opposition to Athenian democracy led to his trial and eventual suicide. # One example of this man's namesake paradox states that no one desires evil, and he taught the leader of the pro-Spartan Thirty Tyrants, Critias. This man discusses the meaning of justice in one student's dialogue The Republic, and his namesake method describes a dialectic means of cross-examination. For 10 points, name this Greek philosopher whose defense before his death from drinking hemlock after being tried for corrupting the youth of Athens was recorded by Plato in the Apology. # This man's argument that forms exist independently of the objects that possess them is refuted by the title character in the Parmenides. This character teaches a slave to perform a mathematical problem during a discussion of virtue in the Meno. He claimed "the unexamined life is not worth living" at a trial where he refused to admit to "corrupting the youth," according to the Apology. In the Crito, this man refused to escape from his conviction of death. For 10 points, name this Athenian philosopher who was used as a character in the dialogues of his student Plato.